Malibu residents living near Nicolas Cage have been instructed to evacuate after a massive sinkhole destroyed the actor's driveway and collapsed Sea Level Drive.
Firefighters discovered the calamity early Tuesday morning after responding to a reported gas main break, a public information officer told news outlet KTLA.
Following the discovery, the City of Malibu issued an emergency order declaring an imminent danger to residents living on Sea Level Drive.
Seven beachfront homes had already been red-tagged, marking them unsafe for occupancy due to the hazardous conditions created by the collapsing ground.
An additional 24 residences were due to be red-tagged because damage to the road had cut off safe vehicular access for emergency vehicles and residents.
Cage, who purchased his beachfront home on Sea Level Drive in 2024 for $10.5 million, is not known to have been spotted near the property since the crater appeared.
The Daily Mail reported contacting representatives for the actor to request comment on the situation.
Emergency response and road collapse
Municipal authorities in the City of Malibu stated that the sinkhole expanded to an astonishing estimated width of 30 by 60 feet and reached a depth of approximately 25 to 30 feet.
The official proclamation noted that such a large portion of Sea Level Drive collapsed that emergency vehicles, including fire trucks, could no longer get through.
Gas service to the affected area was shut off, and authorities noted that local water service might also be discontinued as conditions warrant.
The scale of the threat was compounded by intensified tides and rainfall caused by Hurricane Marie.
The situation was further heightened by a strong El Nino pattern, which a government forecast gave a 90 percent chance of escalating into a super event.
The City of Malibu advised on its website that evacuees can take refuge at a temporary shelter set up by the American Red Cross at Malibu High School.
Coastal erosion and aerial survey
Photographs of the destruction taken on Tuesday showed the once-palatial property sitting on the edge of a massive crater that took down the driveway, a portion of the adjacent street, and a portable restroom.
Workers used construction cones to section off the luxurious residence while crews assessed the damage inside the sinkhole and along the street.
The hole was reportedly the result of coastal erosion affecting the shoreline.
Reporting on the incident from the air, KTLA reporter Rich Prickett said no one appeared to be inside Cage's residence at the time.
"Substantial damage done to this home, or at least the driveway to this home here in Malibu," Prickett reported. "It doesn't appear that anybody was home. As a matter of fact, the house looks like it is under some sort of renovation."
According to KTLA, no injuries have been reported in connection with the sinkhole.
History of the oceanfront mansion
Located in a highly desirable oceanfront setting, the residence features a rooftop deck with a jacuzzi, soaring glass walls, multiple bedrooms, access to an isolated beach, a chef's kitchen, and a garage with elevator access.
The mansion was built in the 1990s by the late Jose Liberman, co-founder of Liberman Broadcasting, and remained in his family until it was sold to Cage.
Lenard Liberman, Jose's son and Liberman Broadcasting co-founder, discussed the sale in an interview with The New York Times in 2024.
"Yes, Nicolas Cage bought our home in Malibu," Liberman said. "My parents would go on weekends and it was my father's 'happy place.' My father passed away and my mom just couldn't go to the house anymore. Too many memories."
Hollywood dynasty and career milestones
An Academy Award winner, Cage is a member of a prominent Hollywood dynasty.
Born Nicolas Kim Coppola, he is the son of the late American academic and author August Coppola, as well as the nephew of filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola and his actress sister Talia Shire.
His family includes his cousins, filmmaker Sofia Coppola and actor Jason Schwartzman.
His grandparents were composer Carmine Coppola, who scored many of Francis Ford Coppola's films, and Italia Coppola, who appeared in her son's Godfather movies.
Over the decades, Cage carved out an impressive acting career with roles in films including Moonstruck, Raising Arizona, Gone in 60 Seconds, and National Treasure.
In 1996, he earned an Oscar win for his role in Leaving Las Vegas.
Legal name change and personal life
Last year, Cage legally changed his name to Nick Cage to avoid being what he described as the Coppola "clown cousin."
"I am Nick Cage. I changed my name legally last year," he told Variety.
The actor explained that the name was inspired by Marvel character Luke Cage, a last name he thought was cool.
"I'm Nick Cage in life, and I'm Nick Cage on camera. 'Tis better to be the patriarch of my own little family than the clown cousin on the margins of someone else's, so I decided I'm going to bring it on and be 'Cage,'" he said.
"'Cage' is a name that I liked coming across in the comics - I just thought he had a cool name - and I grew up in a very avant-garde, artsy family and there was talk about John Cage and the experimental compositions that he did. I was looking for something like 'James Dean'; I was looking for something short and sweet," Cage explained.
"I thought, well, I'll keep the name 'Nicolas' because my father named me Nicolas - with French spelling, which has always frustrated me, because everyone adds an 'h.' I don't know why he gave me the French spelling! But he did."
Whether he prefers Nick or Nicolas, the actor told Variety:
"I'm both! I think people know me as both."
In 2021, Cage walked down the aisle for a fifth time when he wed Riko Shibata, who is now 31 years old.
The couple welcomed their daughter, August Francesca, in 2022.
Cage also has two adult sons: 18-year-old Kal-El with ex-wife Kim, and 33-year-old Weston with ex-girlfriend Christina Fulton.
